Convertible freight-car



' (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. F. MOSSOP.

OONVERTIBLE FREIGHT GAR.

Patented Feb. 15,1887.

WITNEE'EE'EI INVENTEJFi (No Model.)

2 SheetsSheet 2.

W.-P. MOSSOP.

GONVERTIBLEFREIGHTGAR.

N0.35'7,93'7, Patented Feb. 15,1887.

WITNEEEEE INVENTEIFP N. PtTERs Phnlo-Lilhngnpher. Wnshingion. D. t.

a car embodying myimpro vements.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcn. V

WVILLIAM F. MOSSOP, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MORRIS M. HIRSOH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONVERTIBLE FREIGHT-CAR.

,SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,937, dated February 15, 1887.

Application filed October 13 1886. Serial No. 216,089. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. Mossor, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Grain and Freight Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 00 a: of Fig. 1, the adjustable floor-sections being omitted. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on line 3 g of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a detail, shown on more enlarged scale than the other figures. Fig. 5 is an end elevation, partly broken away, of cover of discharge-spout. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of discharge-spout and cover. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of car-door and guides. Fig. Sis an elevation of car-door. Fig. 9 is a perspective of hinge for door-slats.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved construction of a convertible car having a floor which may lie horizontally for the reception of ordinary freight or general merchandise and be adjusted for a graincar having inclined planes leading to a centrally-located discharge-hopper.

Myimprovernents consistin the peculiar construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and specifically explained.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, A designates the body of the car mounted on trucks B B. i

O O are the side sills, and D, D, and Ethe intermediate sills, on which the bottom or floor of the car is supported. The middle sill, E, does not extend the full length of the car, being separated near the center, forming an opening which receives a hopper, F.

G G are short transverse sills extending from the sill D to the sill D, and secured thereto by angle-irons or knee-plates g g.

The hopper F has two horizontal lateral flange-plates, f f, which extend over to the sills G O and rest upon and are bolted to the latter,

as well as upon and to the sills DD. On each of these flange-plates are formed racks f f, the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained.

H is a transverse beam or girder extending laterally across and above the hopper, resting on the flange-plates f f, and secured to the same. This girder has its twoupper sides beveled or inclined, asshown. The neckf of thehopper has a swiveled spout or discharge-pipe, F, which can be readily turned around to discharge upon either side of the car.

I and l are permanent or stationary parts of the floor, one at each end of the car, and K and K are adjustable sections of said floor, and, when lying horizontally, extending from said stationary parts to the girder or cross-beam H. These floor-sections are each composed of crossboards or flooring-pieces fastened to longitudinal girders or beams of T-iron. The inner ends of said adjustable sections K K are provided with anti-friction rollers k k, (shown in the detail, Fig. 4,) which rest and run upon the fiange-plates f f, and they have also pawls k k,

as shown in said figure, which engage with the racks f f, Fig. 2. The opposite ends of said sections are'providcd with laterally-projecting pins or trunnions k it, which enter inclined slots 1 Z in guides L L on the sides of the car. These truunions extend into the spaces at at between the double walls M, and in said spaces are chains 71 a, which, are wound upon shafts N N' by means of worm-shafts O 0, having handles 0 0 outside of the ends of the cars.

I? and P areinclined bars or cleats on the inner side walls of the car, and p p are sections of rubber tubing just below said cleats, which form tight joints withthe floor-sections K K when the latter are elevated, and prevent leakage of .grain.

\Vhen the car is to be used as an ordinary freightcar or for general merchan'disathe floorsections K K are disposed horizontally, as shown in the left of Fig. 1, forming, with the stationary parts I I, a continuous door and covering the hopper, meeting end to end over the transverse girder H. WVhen it is desired to use the car for grain, the sections K K are raised by means of the end gearing until they assume the inclined position, as shown in the right in Fig. 1, the pawls k engaging with the racksf and assisting the chains n n in holding said sections K K in their inclined positions.

As means for closing the discharge-spout or its swiveled end, I provide the latter with a cover or end, T. (Shown in Figs. 5 and 6.) This end is in the form of a sliding plate having top and bottom flanges, it, in which are formed grooves, which receive tongues f on the spout when said plate is applied to the spout, as it may be by a lateral edgewisemovement. Said plate has a handle, t, to facilitate its movement.

To look the end plate, T, it is provided with a spring-latch, U, in a recess, T, in an offset, which latch is adapted and designed to enter a notch or recess, on oneof thetongues, and a key may be provided for lifting the latch when it is desired to open the spoutby removing the end T. To prevent the grain from rushing out of the spout in the act of removing the end plate, said spout has an internally-located flap or gate, V, hinged at c, which is normally held stationary by a pin, 12, secured to aspringarm, o fastened to the spout, as shown. On pulling down the pin after removing the end plate the flap or gateV will be raised and kept elevated by the pressure of the grain discharging through the spout.

The car door is preferably a hinged slat door, W, as shown in Fig. 7. which moves in guides, as shown in Fig. 8, the form of hinge used being shown in Fig. 9.

, \Vhat I claim as my invention is- 1. In a convertible grain and general freight car having a central hopper, a floor consisting of fixed or stationary end sections, I I, and ad justable sections K K, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a convertible grain and general freight car, a hopper having laterally extending flange-plates f f with racks f f, in combination with adjustable floor-sections K K, having pawls 7c is, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a convertible grain and general freight car, the combination, with adjustable sliding floor-sections K K, of windlasses for moving the same, inclined guides L, with slots Z, and trunnions 76 k, said trunnions extending into spaces in the car-walls and the Windlass-chains being concealed or contained in said spaces, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a car having adjustable inclined floorsections K K, the combination, with said sections, of inclined cleats Land cushions Z, form ing tight joints to prevent leakage of grain, substantially as shown and described.

5. In combination with the discharge-spout F, having tonguesf the sliding end plate, T, having flanges t t, which engage with said tongues, and a latch for locking said plate on said spout, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination, with the spout F, of flap or hinged gate V and pin c, said gate being wholly inside the spout and said pin having one end extending through the wall of the spout, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set myhand this 9th day of October, 1886.

WILLIAM F. MOSSOP.

\Vitnesses:

WILL H. POWELL, R. DALE SPARHAWK. 

